Introduction:

Barney becomes
suspicious of the strange habits of Sam Becker, a shy, secretive farmer living
on the outskirts of Mayberry. Sam’s wife is about to give birth to their first
child, and he has nobody to help him.

Discussion:

Barney often overreacts in
situations, but let’s put ourselves in his position. Do you know people who
rarely make eye contact or who answer questions with only a word or two? How
does that make you feel? Have you ever known anyone who plowed his fields at
night? Would that arouse your curiosity? If you saw somebody purchasing
absorbent cotton, antiseptics, and tranquilizers, might you conclude someone had
been cut? Aren’t law enforcement officials trained to have a skeptical attitude
and questioning mind?

In the original, uncut
version of this episode, Barney suggests that Sam Becker might be growing
marijuana. Considering this episode was aired in 1961, does that surprise you?

In today’s world, with cell
phones and pagers, getting in touch with someone in an emergency situation is
much easier than in 1961. Still, have you ever experienced a situation similar
to Sam’s?

What would you have done in
Andy’s situation? Would you have been nervous and “scared to death”?

Final Thought:

Barney: “I did
my part in helping to whip the dreaded Hun.”

Sam: “I was in
Korea.”

Barney: “I was across the big
pond myself. The other part of the world you might say. I was second in
command of this outfit. This corporal and me, we was in charge of over 3,000
books in the PX library on Staten Island.”